Greinke flirts with history as Astros break franchise wins record

The Astros continued to have their way with the Mariners as Zack Greinke nearly made history.

According to Baseball Almanac, no team has ever thrown three no-hitters in one season. Zack Greinke nearly gave the Astros their third such game in less than two months, but fell two outs short of it Wednesday night in Seattle.

Greinke faced the minimum through eight innings, allowing only one walk and striking out nine. He kept hitters off balance and mixed his pitches, looking every bit like the battle-tested veteran he is. He even snagged a pair of line drives, showing the skills that have earned him five straight Gold Glove awards.

But a line drive off the bat of pinch-hitter Austin Nola with one out in the ninth was just beyond the reach of Jake Marisnick in left-center field. Another single by Tim Lopes ended Greinke’s night, but as has been the case so often this year, Will Harris came in and put out the fire.

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It was still a masterful performance and gave Greinke his 18th win on the season while moving him to 8-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts with the Astros. It also gave the Astros their 104th win on the season, surpassing last year’s total to set a new franchise record.

Incredibly, the win marked the Astros’ 13th consecutive victory against the woeful Mariners, pushing their overall record to 18-1 against the Seattle nine this season. It also gave the Astros a 2.5 game lead over the Yankees for the AL’s best record.

Other Notes

Alex Bregman continued to rake, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and an RBI. He also moved up to 8.2 WAR on the season, just shy of Mike Trout‘s 8.3 mark. With four games left, Bregman continues to make his case to be the league’s MVP.

Kyle Tucker hit a solo homer in the ninth, his third of the year. He also stole his fifth base with the Astros this season and continues to show that he’s deserving of a spot on the playoff roster. If the team carries an additional position player, Tucker may be the one they choose.

Carlos Correa was out of the lineup for the second straight game on Wednesday due to lingering back stiffness. It was also announced that he and a few other regulars won’t be in Thursday’s lineup as a result of the late night flight to Los Angeles after Wednesday’s game.

For now, the goal is for Correa to be ready for the playoffs, so the team is simply being cautious. However, it is a bit frustrating for all parties as the star shortstop continues to be sidelined.

The Astros will open their final regular season series tonight against the Angels, with Wade Miley going up against Jaime Barria. This will be a pivotal start for Miley, as his status in the postseason rotation is in jeopardy after several poor starts.